skygiants

Chicago weekend with newredshoes and genarti, with a guest appearance from the lovely indy_go: unsurprisingly, was FABULOUS. *_* As an added bonus, I ate so well (falafel! Chicago-style pizza! Cincinnati chili! crepes!) that I have absolutely no room to complain about living off pasta and beans for the next week while my wallet recovers from missing the last train back from the airport and having to splurge on an overpriced taxi. However, I do feel I have a right to complain about the fact that my suitcase has still not been located. Fortunately it contained nothing extremely pressing (my materialist soul shrieks 'pretty new shirt! more importantly, VOLUME 15 OF FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST!' but these are at least replaceable) so even if it never does turn up it is not the end of the world.

But anyway, I am not here to write about my travel woes, or to make you all jealous with my travel awesome either! I am here to write about Galen Beckett's The Magicians and Mrs. Quent, which chlorrel lent to me along with Soulless. Actually the two aren't that similar, aside from being Fantastical Regency Adventures; The Magicians and Mrs. Quent is something of a more srs bsns book, although not all that srs bsns given that the author was basically like "Hey, here is Pride and Prejudice! Here is Jane Eyre! TWO GREAT TASTES THAT GO GREAT TOGETHER. >:D" You think I am kidding, but no! The book basically goes like this:

PART I:
IVY: I am the sensible eldest of three daughters of a not-very-well-to-do gentleman whose house is entailed away to a silly cousin! Did I mention I am interested in MAGIC?
IVY'S MOTHER: ALL MY DAUGHTERS MUST MARRY IMMEDIATELY.
IVY'S SILLY COUSIN: Look, here is my high-born and dashing young connection who thinks I am a moron!
IVY'S ENTIRE FAMILY: Gosh, isn't he eligible!
HIGH-BORN AND DASHING YOUNG CONNECTION: Despite the fact that you are far beneath me in status, Ivy, I find myself strangely attracted to you.
HIGH-BORN AND DASHING YOUNG CONNECTION'S BFF: In a Dickensian plotline completely unrelated to any of the above, I am impoverished, worried about my sister's virtue, possessed of strange inherent magical abilities, about to plunge myself into debt, involved with dubious political activities, and probably gay.

PART II:

IVY: Dear Diary, the narrative is now going to switch to first-person fake-epistolary diary format while I become a governess and wander through a gothic haunted house with secrets in the attic relating to my boss' dead wife.
THE HOUSEKEEPER: My name is not actually Mrs. Danvers, but because it starts with a D. and I act exactly like her you'll never be able to remember it as anything else! :D
IVY'S NEW BOSS: Hello, I'm Rochester Lite.

PART III:

IVY: Okay time to actually go back to the city and deal with that magical plot that I was kind of distracted from while I was busy being Jane Eyre.
HIGH-BORN AND DASHING YOUNG CONNECTION: I've been having character development and growing and changing as a person!
HIGH-BORN AND DASHING YOUNG CONNECTION'S BFF: I'm still here! Having a mostly-unrelated plot that now involves highwaymen! Also, an illusonist boyfriend. :D

So basically I am not sure all the different pieces of the book quite came together, but overall it was a pretty enjoyable read. ( Here are some more spoilery thoughts. )